Roll grinder



ROLL GRINDER 5 sheetssheet 1 Filed Dec. 31, 1962 M? uii lum in E W MQ r Gm 1 pm a om 8 d y we m 05% V m? ,1 W d H H J w/w D M v Jan. 19, 1965 D. G. BOUSQUET ETAL 3,

ROLL GRINDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 31, 1962 2 NQH wm R ROLL GRINDER D. G. BOUSQUET ETAL Jan. 19,1965

Filed Dec. 31, 1962 INVENTORS Donald Bousauet BY Walt)? H. Kane.

H oney Jan. 1965 D. G. BOUSQUET ETAL. 3,

ROLL GRINDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 51, 1962 INVENTORS Donald (j. Bousouet BY Walter H. Kane B 0 ney United States Patent This invention relates to a roll grinder and, more particularly, to apparatus arranged to renew or to form the surface of a roll by the abrasion process.

In many industries where rolls are used, the quality and smoothness of the surface is a very important element in determining the quality of finished product. In some industries in addition, such as in a strip rolling mill, it is necessary to give the surface of the roll a camber to compensate, among other things, for deflection of the roll due to the rolling forces. When the roll is properly cambered, the resultant strip will have a thickness which is uniform from side-to-side. It is a common practice in renewing roll surfaces or in giving them camber or other desirable surface configuration to remove the roll from the machine in which it is used and to carry it to a roll grinding machine which, in most cases, is a heavy machine mounted on the mill floor. This means that the machine in which the roll is used must be inoperative while the roll is being removed and being replaced by another roll. If the machine in which the roll is used is part of a continuous process, the whole process must be stopped for that length of time with a resultant loss of production and with the result that a large amount of capital equipment is inoperative for a considerable length of time. It has been suggested that such roll grinders be constructed so as to be capable of being mounted on the frame of the machine in which the roll is mounted, so that the roll may be ground in situ. However, apparatus of this type evolved in the past have been very heavy and expensive and have not resulted in an accurately-finished surface. These and other difiiculties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

it is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a roll grinder capable of being mounted on the frame of a machine in which a roll is mounted so that the roll may be ground in place.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a roll grinder capable of giving the surface of the roll an accurate, predetermined shape which may be selectively of convex, concave, or of an irregular form.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a roll grinder having a control apparatus which may be regulated very accurately from a template.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a roll grinder having a novel method of retaining swari and other products of the grinding operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a roll grinder having an adjustable template for controlling the camber produced on the surface of the roll.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a roll grinder having an adjustable-speed, instantly-reversible traverse drive.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a roll grinder capable of being used on roll housings of various roll lengths and having an adjustable-length traverse which may be varied to suit the particular roll.

With these and other objects inview, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood'by reference to one of its structural forms as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Patented Jan. 19, 1965 "ice FIG., 1 is an elevational sectional view taken on the line II of FIG. 2 of a roll grinder embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the grinder;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the grinder taken along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the grinder taken on the line IVIV of FIG. 1; g

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational View of a portion of the apparatus taken on the line VV of FIG. 2;

P16. 6 is a plan view of a gauging device used with the roll grinder;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the gauge,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the gauge, and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another portion of the gauge.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein are best shown the general features of the invention, the roll grinder, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown in use with a machine such as a rolling mill 11 having housings 12 and 13 between which extends a roll lid-The housings 12 and 13 are provided with brackets 15 and 16 having broad horizontal surfaces on which the roll grinder is mounted.

The roll grinder is provided with a main body 17 on which is mounted a traverse base 18. On the traverse base is, in turn, mounted a cross-feed base 19. The crossfeed base, in turn, carries a grinding apparatus 21 which, for the purposes of illustration, is shown as being of the belt type. a bracket 20 on which is, in turn, mounted a DC. electric motor 22 which is connected to a gear reduction unit 2.3

having an output shaft 24.

As is evident in FIG. 4, the main base 17 is provided in its upper portion with rails 25 and 26 which carry and guide the traverse base 18. The traverse base is provided with wheels 27 which roll on an upper horizontal surface of the rail 26. Similarly, the traverse base 18 is provided with wheels 28 which roll along the upper horizontal surface of the rail 25. In addition, the traverse base 18 is provided with wheels 29which are mounted on vertical pivots and which engage a straight vertical surface of the rail 26 which faces toward the roll. The rail 25 is provided with a flat guide surface which is inclined to the horizontal and which faces away from the roll; this surface is engaged by wheels 31 which are mounted on the traverse base :1 inclined axes. Suitable adjustments can be made in the wheels 29 torernove backlash, so that the traverse base 18 is smoothly guided for movement over the main base 17 in a direction parallel to the axis of the roll 14. Extending downwardly from the base 13 is an abutment 32 which extends into a recess 49 which extends longitudinally through theupper part of the base 17 between the rails 25 and 26. nut 33 which is operatively engaged with a threaded shaft The shaft 34 is mounted in guide bearings 35 and 35 which are bolted in the upper portion of the main body 17 and one end is connected through a coupling 3tlto the output shaft 24, of the gear reduction unit 23 and the motor 22. i

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, it can be seen that'the upper part of the traverse base 18-is provided with a dovetail 37 which fits smoothly within a dovetail slot 38 formed on the bottom part ofthe cross-feed base 19. An adjustable gib 39 is located at one side of the dovetail slot 33 and serves to assure a tight slidable fitbetween the-crossfeed base 19 and the traverse base 18;, Formed. inthe top portion of the cross-feed base 19 is a dovetail slot 41 in which is slidably mounted a dovetail 42. formed in the undersurfaceof a table 43 forming part of the grinding apparatus 21. It should be noted that in only FIG.

At one end of the main body 17 is mounted The abutment 32 carries a 1 is the grinding apparatus 21 shown in place. In the other figures it has been removed for clarity of illustration.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, it can be seen that the forward side of the traverse base 18 is provided with an abutment 4-4. Through this abutment extend two studs 45 having unthreaded shanks that extend rearwardly of the base. Surrounding each unthreaded shank of each stud 45 is a coil spring 46 which presses against a shoulder of a blind bore 47 in the cross-feed base 19. The rearward side of the cross-feed base 19 and located on the centerline thereof between the lines of the studs 45 is a protuberance 48 carrying a roller 49 on a vertical pivot.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 and 4, at the side of the main body 17 facing away from the roll 14 is mounted a template rail 51 whichis connected to the basic part of the main body by legs 52. The rail 51 is provided in its central portion with a transverse recess 53, best shown in FIG. 5. In this recess is slidably mounted a block 54.

The block 54 is capable of transverse sliding motion in the recess 53 toward and away from the roll 14. On the face of the block facing toward the roll and facing toward the roller 49 is a slot 55 in which is mounted a template such as a guide bar 56 held in place ,by a vertical pin 57. Extending transversely through the block and opening on the slot 55 is a horizontal threaded bore 58 in which is threadedly mounted an adjusting screw 59 having an operating handle 61 at its outer end. A counterbore 62 is provided into the threaded bore 58 on the face of the block 54 which faces away from the roll. Mounted on the face of the rail 51 is an elongated plate 63 provided with a threaded bore 64 in which the adjusting screw 59 is also threaded. The threads in the bore 58 and the bore 64 are of opposite hand. A counterbore 65 is formed in the plate on the side facing the counterbore 62. The adjusting screw 59 is provided in its central portion with an enlarged portion 66 which is of such a size as to fit into either the counterbore 62 or the counterbore 65, on occasion. As is best evident in FIG. 5, a cover plate 67 is bolted on the top of the rail 51 on either side of the slot 53 and, therefore, extends over the top of the block 54. The plate 67 is provided with a transversely elongated slot 68 (best shown in FIG. 2) and upwardly into the slot extends a stop member 69 which is pinned to the block 54. An adjusting screw 71 extends through the wall of the plate into the slot 68 rearwardly toward the stop member 69. Another adjusting screw 72 extends through the forward portion of the plate 67 forwardly toward the stop member 69. ,Both of these adjusting screws are provided with locknuts and a locknut 73 is mounted on the adjusting screw 59 between the handle 61 and the plate 63. The rail 51 extends upwardly across a substantial portion of the length of the base 17 with the exception of the area in which the slot 53 is formed. On either side it is provided with a horizontal slot defining a front wall and a top apron 74 which extends horizontally and rearwardly on either side of the plate 67. Across the apron at one end is a shallow keyway 75 and at the other end a similar shallow keyway 76, as may be seen in FIG. 2. From the bottom of the keyway 75 and extending vertically entirely through the rail 51 from the apron 74 downwardly is mounted a pin 77; a similar vertical pin. 78 extends through the rail from the bottom of the keyway 76. These pins extend through apertures in the guidebar 56, these apertures being elongated in the direction of the axis of the roll 14. Extending through the front wall of the rail 51 into the slot between the apron 74 and the bottom of the rail and engaging the rear surface of the guide bar 56 are a series of torque thumb screws 79. These screws are of a well-known type which may be moved toward the guide rail 56 by a thumb screw motion, but the pressure against the rail may not exceed a pre-determined amount built into the thumb screws; when this pressure is exceeded they will no longer feed inwardly toward the rail.

FIG. 1 shows the type of grinding apparatus 21 which would be used. It includes the table 43 which is slidably mounted on the cross feed table 19 but which may be adjusted relative thereto. An electric motor 81 is mounted on the table, and its drive shaft 82 carries a pulley 83. This drives a pulley 84 mounted on a jackshaft 85. Another pulley 86 on the jackshaft S5 drives a pulley 87 on a drive shaft 88. At the other end of the drive shaft 88 is mounted a drive wheel 89 over which passes an abrasive belt 90 which is in the form of a continuous loop and extends around the drive wheel 89 and a larger contact wheel 91. The part of the belt which passes over the surface of the contact wheel is located to contact the roll 14 for the grinding operation; the other wheel is situated rearwardly of the contact wheel to provide a somewhat trapezoidal belt configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it can be seen that an elongated U-shaped channel 92 is fastened to the side of a vertical face of the main body 17 which faces toward the roll 14. Extending upwardly into the interior of this channel is a conduit 93 which is connected to a source of vacuum not shown). The edges of the channel 922 face toward the roll and the top edge is provided with a frame 94 having a downwardly-directed slot, while the lower edge is provided with a frame 90A which has an upwardly-directed slot. Mounted between the frames slightly forwardly of the slots is a nozzle 95 which is adapted to underlie the contact wheel 89 and the b lt 90 of the grinding apparatus 21 and to be close to the surface of the roll 14. In order that this nozzle may slide back and forth with the traverse base 13, a bracket 96 is bolted at one end to the forward face of the base 18 and at the lower end is provided with a fork which extends around the nozzle 95. In this way the nozzle is forced to move from side to side and to traverse with the base 18. In order to provide a vacuum chamber rearwardly of the nozzle 95 and in operative connection therewith, a flexible steel belt 97 is provided. This belt consists of an elongated piece of flexible steel which is formed in a loop and has its ends attached to either side of a spring. The bight 0f the belt is fastened to the nozzle 95 and a suitable aperture A is provided in line with the nozzle. As is evident in FIG. 2, the end portions of the channel 92 are provided with end rolls 98 and 99 around which the belt 97 travels. As the belt rotates and moves around the rolls 98 and 99 and the nozzle 95 traverses back and forth with the grinding apparatus 21, the edges of the belt ride in the slots in the frames A and 94 and act as a commutator to seal the interior of the belt 97 and the channel 92 tightly, so that the vacuum presented by the conduit 93 is felt at the opening of the nozzle with a minimum of leakage.

Referring now FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9, the gauging ap paratus, indicated generally by the reference numeral 80, is provided with an elongated master bar 100, at the center of which is mounted a contact member 101. At each end is a contact member 102. As is evident in FIG. 9, each contact member 102 consists of a main body 103 having on its upper surface a key 104 which 15 slidably engaged with a keyway 105 formed in the undersurface of the master bar and extending a suitable portion of the length thereof from each end. Extending downwardly from the main body 103 of each contact member 102 is a vertical leg 106 having at its bottom end a vertical cylindrically-rounded contact pad 107 of the same radius as the roller 49. Also formed on the undersurface of the main body 103 of e h tact member 102 is a transverse key 108 which is adapted to fit slidably in one of the keyways 75 and 76 formed in the top of the apron 74 of the rail 51 (see FIG. 2). The contact member 101 is provided with a bridge 109 which is bolted to the upper surface of the master bar 100 and is provided with a transverse slot 111'. on the lower part thereof so that it forms with. the upper:

surface of the bar 101) a passage of rectangular conformation. Slidable in this passage is a rectangular main body 112 having at its rear end (away from the roll 14) an upstanding peg 113. Extending downwardly from the forward end is a leg 114 having at its lower end a vertical cylindrical-surfaced pad 115 having the same radius as the roll 49. As is best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a peg 116 extends upwardly from the upper surface of the master bar 1% into a transversely-elongated slot 117 formed in the undersurface of the main body 112. Furthermore, a coil spring 118 lies in the slot 117 and presses between the peg 116 and the forward end of the slot 117, thus biasing the main body 112 forwardly in the slot 111 away from the roll. Mounted on the top of the bridge 109 is a conventional dial indicator 119 having an actuating finger 121 extending forwardly into contact with the peg 113; the dial shows any relative displacement between the bridge 1119 and the peg 113. Furthermore, extending downwardly from the lower surface of the master bar 191 are two pegs 122 and 123, these pegs being spaced and of sufficient length to straddle the plate 67 with the pegs resting on the upper surface of the apron 74, thus centering the bar relative to the plate. In this position, the keys 198 in the contact members 1113 will slidably engage the keyways 75 and 76 in the top of the apron 74.

The operation of the invention will now be readily understood in view of the above description. To begin with, in a given manufacturing plant it would be quite possible that only one roll grinder would be used for the whole plant because of the ability to adjust traverse length. Each machine would be provided with a permanent set of brackets 15 and 16, however, and the roll grinder would be moved around by use of a hoist from one machine to another as rolls needed refinishing. A source of regulatable DC. power 161) is connected to the motor 22 for speed control thereof, the motor, in turn, driving the shaft 34 through the medium of the gear reduction unit 23, the output shaft 24, and the coupling 35. The rotation of the shaft 34 will react with the nut 33 and produce sliding movement of the traverse hue 18 relative to the main body 17. The ends of the to-and-fro move ment being determined by limit switches 124 and 125 which serve to reverse the rotation of the motor 22. The

cross-feed base 19 is pressed rearwardly of or away from the roll 14 by the springs 4-6. This movement in the rearward direction is limited, however, by the engagement of the roller 49 with the forward surface of the guide bar 56. The ends of the guide bar are locked by the pins 77 and 78 which ride in slightly longitudinally elongated apertures in the bar. The center of the bar is locked by the pin 57 in the block 54. Therefore, the rotation of the handle 61 and the adjusting screw 59 causes the block to move forwardly and rearwardly and to produce a desired arc in the guide bar 56. The guide bar, therefore, is supported at the ends in a fixed position and is stressed in the center to form an are which may be adjusted to the contour that is desired on the surface of the roll 14. The to-and-fro movement of the traverse base 18 with the cross-feed base 19 and the grinding apparatus 21, therefore, results in a grinding operation on the surface of the roll 14. The roll, therefore, may be either cylindrical or cambered (convex, concave, or special shape) depending on the adjustment of the guide bar 56.

By use of the master bar 190 it is possible to determine very accurately the amount of arc in the guide bar 56.

' With the keys 108 of the end contact members 1152 sliding smoothly in the slots 75 and 76 in the top of the apron 74, the master bar 1119 is free to move backwards and forwards. The contact pads 107 contact the surface of the guide bar 56 in line with the slots 75 and 76 in the apron 74, which slots are accurately related to the roll 14. The pads, therefore, move backwards and forwards with the ends of the bar. The pad 115 of the contact member 101 engages the center of the guide bar, the

roller 49 being temporarily moved away from'the guide bar. The main body 112 of the center contact member 101 slides backwards and forwards depending upon the contact of the pad 115 with the guide bar, sliding taking place in the slot 111 in the bridge 109. Now, the finger 121 of the dial indicator 119 presses against the peg 113 and the spring 117 presses the main body 112 rearwardly so that the pad 115 contacts the front surface of the guide bar. Since the bridge 109 is mounted on the top surface of the master bar 100 and the master bar 100 is locked to the end contact members 102 by the keys 104 residing in the slot 105 of the master bar, the contact members and the master bar itself will float until they reach a position of equilibrium, at which time the dial indicator 119 will indicate the amount of camber in the guide bar 56.

As the grinding operation proceeds, the nozzle 95 will always underlie the belt and, since it receives the vacuum or suction through the conduit 93, the products of the grinding operation will be collected and removed from the machine. The purpose of the belt 97 is to provide commutation between the fixed conduit 93 and the movable nozzle 95, the ends of the belt moving with the nozzle which is engaged by the bracket 96 on the traverse base 18. The belt seals against the surrounding members and prevents leakage of airinto the vacuum system.

The backup screws 79 give rearward support to the guide bar 56 after it has been adjusted, so that the pressure of the roller 49 on the surface of the guide bar is not permitted to flex it in between the center support and the end support and cause distortion of the curve which is to be reproduced on the roll. The screws are of the torque-control type so that a predetermined amount of pressure will not be exceeded at any time.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A roll grinder, comprising 7 (a) an elongated'main body adapted to extend across a housing in which a roll is mounted and to extend parallel to the roll axis,

(b) a traverse base slidably mounted for movement along a straight path over the main body and parallel to the roll axis.

(c) a cross-feed base slidably mounted for movement over the main body transversely of the roll,

(d) a grinding apparatus mounted for movement with the cross-feed base,

(2) spring means to bias the cross-feed base and the grinding apparatus away from the roll,

(1) means attached to the main body and extending along a substantial portion of the length thereof, the

said means limiting the movement of the cross-feed base away from the roll,

(g) a vacuum means associated with the grinding apparatus to remove the products of the grinding process, the vacuum meansincluding a nozzle which is movable with the apparatus, a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum, and a commutator for connecting the nozzle and conduit at all times despite relative movement therebetween.

2. A roll grinder as recited in claim 1, wherein the commutator includes an elongated U-shaped channel facing toward the roll, a roller mounted at each end of the channel for rotation about a vertical axis extending between the flanges, a belt forming a loop extending around the rollers and attached to the nozzle, the edges of the belt residing in sealing relation to the surfaces of the channel, the conduit connected through the channel to the interior of the loop.

3. A roller grinder, comprising (a) an elongated main body adapted to extend across a housing in which a roll is mounted and to extend parallel to the roll axis,

(b) a traverse base slidably mounted for movement along a straight path over the main body and parallel to the roll axis,

() a cross-feed base slidably mounted for movement over the main body transversely of the roll,

(d) a grinding apparatus mounted for movement with the cross-feed base,

(e) spring means to bias the cross-feed base and the grinding apparatus away from the roll,

(f) a guide bar attached to the main body and extending along a substantial portion of the length thereof, the said bar limiting the movement of the crossfeed base away from the roll, means associated with the guide bar for producing a bend in the bar for reproduction on the surface of the roll, a master bar being mounted over the guide bar for transverse sliding movement only relative to the main body, an end contact member being provided at each end of the master bar for longitudinal movement relative thereto, a center contact member being provided at the center of the master bar for sliding motion tran versely only thereof, the end contact members and the center contact member having pads which contact and move with the surface of the guide bar, and an indicator being provided to show displacement between the center of the master bar and the center contact member.

4. A roll grinder, comprising (a) an elongated main body adapted to extend across a housing in which a roll is mounted and to extend parallel to the roll axis,

(b) a traverse base slidably mounted for movement along a straight path over the main body and parallel to the roll axis,

(0) a cross-feed base slidably mounted for movement over the main body transversely of the roll,

(d) a grinding apparatus mounted for movement with the cross-feed base,

(e) spring means to bias the cross-feed base and the grinding apparatus away from the roll, 7

(f) a guide bar attached to the main body and extending along a substantial portion of the length thereof, the said means limiting the movement of the crossfeed base away from the roll,

(g) a block slidably mounted on the main body and having a slot in which the center of the guide bar is mounted,

,(h) screw means extending between the main body and the block for deflecting the center of the bar,

LESTER M.

FRANK E. BAILEY, J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER,

the main body being provided with an apron which extends over the block and is provided with a transversely-elongated aperture extending therethrough over the block, the block having an upwardly-extending pin which resides in the aperture, and a limit screw extending into each end of the aperture for contacting the pin on occasion and limiting the transverse movement of the block.

5. A roll grinder, comp-rising (a) an elongated main body adapted to extend across a housing in which a roll is mounted and to extend parallel to the roll axis,

(b) a traverse base slidably mounted for movement along a straight path over the main body and parallel to the roll axis,

(0) a cross-feed base slidably mounted for movement over the main body transversely of the roll,

(d) a grinding apparatus mounted for movement with the cross-feed base,

(e) spring means to bias the cross-feed base and the grinding apparatus away from the roll,

(f) a guide bar attached to the main body and extending along a substantial portion of the length thereof, the said bar limiting the movement of the cross-feed base away from the roll,

,9) a block slidably mounted on the main body and having a slot in which the center of the guide bar is mounted,

(it) screw means having a threaded portion extending between the main body and the block for deflecting the center of the bar in the plane of movement of the cross-feed base,

(i) a master bar mounted on the main body,

(j) means extending from the master bar and engaging the ends of the guide bar to move laterally with the displacement of the ends of the guide bar, and

(k) means indicating the displacement of the center of the guide bar relative to the center of the master bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/07 Brown et a1. 5ll00 9/34 Harrison et al. 51-100 6/39 Ott 51-49 1/63 Woodford et a1. 5149 5/63 Hold et a1 51-49 X 7/63 Lee 51147 X SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

Examiners. 

1. A ROLL GRINDER, COMPRISING (A) AN ELONGATED MAIN BODY ADAPTED TO EXTEND ACROSS A HOUSING IN WHICH A ROLL IS MOUNTED AND TO EXTEND PARALLEL TO THE ROLL AXIS, (B) A TRAVERSE BASE SLIDABLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A STRAIGHT PATH OVER THE MAIN BODY AND PARALLEL TO THE ROLL AXIS. (C) A CROSS-FEED BASE SLIDABLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT OVER THE MAIN BODY TRANSVERSELY OF THE ROLL, (D) A GRINDING APPARATUS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE CROSS-FEED BASE, (E) SPRING MEANS TO BIAS THE CROSS-FEED BASE AND THE GRINDING APPARATUS AWAY FROM THE ROLL, 